1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a toner supply method in a picture image forming system, and a picture image forming system. More specifically, the invention relates to a toner supply method in a picture image forming system, which enables replacement of not only a toner cartridge running short of toner in a picture image forming system for making copies with toners of a plurality of colors, but also, simultaneously, a toner cartridge for a toner which is running short, and to the picture image forming system itself.
2. Related Background Art
In a picture image forming system for making copies with toners of a plurality of colors, the quantities of toners consumed by making several copies vary depending on the colors of the toners. For example, a picture image forming system for making copies with toners of four colors including Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyanogen) and K (black) is considered. After such a picture image forming system makes several copies, a toner cartridge for, e.g., a toner Y, becomes empty (a toner cartridge empty). Then, when the toner specific concentration thereof lowers to a level which is not suitable for copying (a toner empty), the toner cartridge for the toner Y is replaced. Similarly, when the state of a toner M is changed from xe2x80x9ctoner cartridge emptyxe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9ctoner emptyxe2x80x9d, the toner cartridge for the toner M must be replaced.
There are some cases where the toner cartridge for the toner M must be replaced immediately after the toner cartridge for the toner Y is replaced. In such cases, the replacing operation is very complicated.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to do away with the complicated replacing operation for a toner cartridge for each color, which is caused by replacing a toner cartridge separately from and independently of other toner cartridges for the respective colors.
It is another object of the present invention to prevent the complicated replacing operation by simultaneously replacing toner cartridges for a plurality of colors.
It is a further object of the present invention to prevent a toner cartridge from being disposed with the a toner remaining in the toner cartridge.
It is a still further object of the present invention to easily recognize time to replace toner cartridges for toners of a plurality of colors, by displaying the time to replace the toner cartridges.
In order to accomplish the aforementioned and other objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner supply method in a picture image forming system having a plurality of picture image forming parts, each of which is designed to supply a toner from a toner cartridge to a developing part, the toner supply method comprising the steps of: detecting a cartridge empty when the level of the toner in the toner cartridge of any one of the picture image forming parts reaches an empty level; introducing a toner, which remains in the toner cartridge of each of the plurality of picture image forming parts, from the toner cartridge of a corresponding one of the plurality of picture image forming parts into a reserve tank portion, which is provided so as to correspond to each of the toner cartridges for housing therein a predetermined quantity of toner, when the cartridge empty is detected in any one of the picture image forming parts; detecting a toner empty when the level of the toner in the developing part reaches an empty level in any one of the picture image forming parts; and exchanging all of the toner cartridges, for which a cartridge empty has been detected, for new cartridges when the toner empty is detected in any one of the picture image forming parts.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner supply method in a picture image forming system including first and second picture image forming parts, the toner supply method comprising the steps of: detecting a cartridge empty of the first picture image forming part when the level of a toner in the toner cartridge of the first picture image forming part reaches an empty level; introducing a toner, which remains in each of the toner cartridges of the first and second picture image forming parts, from each of the toner cartridges of the first and second picture image forming parts into a reserve tank, which is provided so as to correspond to each of the toner cartridges for housing therein a predetermined quantity of toner, when the cartridge empty is detected in the first picture image forming parts; detecting a cartridge empty of the second picture image forming part when the level of a toner in the toner cartridge of the second picture image forming part reaches an empty level; introducing a toner, which remains in each of the toner cartridges of the first and second picture image forming parts, from each of the toner cartridges of the first and second picture image forming parts into a reserve tank, which is provided so as to correspond to each of the toner cartridges for housing therein a predetermined quantity of toner, when the cartridge empty is detected in the second picture image forming parts; detecting a toner empty of a corresponding one of the first and second image forming parts when the level of the toner in the developing part of any one of the first and second picture image forming parts reaches the empty level; and inspiring to replace the toner cartridges of the first and second picture image forming parts with new cartridges when the toner empty is detected in any one of the first and second picture image forming parts.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a picture image forming system comprising: a plurality of developing means, each of which houses toner therein, for forming a developer image with the toner; a plurality of toner cartridges, each of which is provided so as to correspond to a corresponding one of the plurality of developing means, for supplying the toner to the corresponding one of the plurality of developing means; a plurality of reserve tank portions, each of which is provided between the corresponding one of the plurality of developing means and a corresponding one of the plurality of toner cartridges, for housing therein a predetermined quantity of toner to supply the toner to the corresponding one of the plurality of developing means; a plurality of cartridge empty detecting means, each of which is provided in the corresponding one of the plurality of toner cartridges, for detecting that the level of the toner in the corresponding one of the plurality of toner cartridges reaches an empty level; a plurality of toner empty detecting means, each of which is provided in the corresponding one of the plurality of developing means for detecting that the level of the toner in the corresponding one of the plurality of developing means reaches an empty level; introducing means for introducing a toner, which remains in a corresponding one of the plurality of toner cartridges, from the corresponding one of the plurality of toner cartridges to a corresponding one of the reserve tank portions when a cartridge empty of any one of the plurality of toner cartridges is detected by a corresponding one of the plurality of cartridge empty detecting means; and display means for displaying to inspire to exchange one or more toner cartridges of the plurality of toner cartridges, the level of which has reached the cartridge empty, when a toner empty of any one of the plurality of developing means is detected by a corresponding one of the plurality of toner empty detecting means after the toner is introduced by the introducing means.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner supply method in a picture image forming system having a plurality of picture image forming parts, each of which is designed to supply a toner from a toner cartridge to a developing part, the toner supply method comprising the steps of: detecting a toner empty when the level of the toner in the developing part in any one of the picture image forming parts reaches an empty level; supplying a toner to a developing part from a reserve tank portion, which is provided in each of the picture image forming parts and which stores therein a predetermined quantity of toner, via a reserving supply passage in a corresponding one of the picture image forming parts, when the toner empty is detected in the corresponding one of the picture image forming parts; and inspiring to replace with new ones toner cartridges of all of picture image forming parts, in which the toner empty has been detected, when a toner empty is detected again in any one of the picture image forming parts after the toner is supplied from the reserve tank to the developing part.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner supply method in a picture image forming system having first and second picture image forming parts, the toner supply method comprising the steps of: detecting a toner empty in the first picture image forming part; discontinuing forming a picture image when the toner empty is detected in the first picture image forming part, and resuming forming a picture image after a toner is supplied to a corresponding developing part from a reserve tank portion which is provided in the first picture image forming part; detecting a toner empty in the second picture image forming part; discontinuing forming a picture image when the toner empty is detected in the second picture image forming part, and resuming to form a picture image after a toner is supplied to a corresponding developing part from a reserve tank portion which is provided with the second picture image forming part; and inspiring to replace toner cartridges of the first and second picture image forming parts with new ones when a toner empty is detected again in the first or second picture image forming part.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a picture image forming system comprising: a plurality of developing means, each of which houses therein a toner, for forming a developer image with the toner; a plurality of toner cartridges, each of which is provided so as to correspond to a corresponding one of the plurality of developing means, for supplying the toner to the corresponding one of the plurality of developing means; a plurality of reserve tank portions, each of which is provided so as to correspond to the corresponding one of the plurality of developing means, for housing therein a predetermined quantity of toner to supply the toner to the corresponding one of the plurality of developing means; a plurality of toner empty detecting means, each of which is provided in the corresponding one of the plurality of developing means, for detecting that the level of the toner in the corresponding one of the plurality of developing means reaches an empty level; supply means for supplying a toner from a corresponding one of the reserve tank portions to the corresponding one of the plurality of developing means when a toner empty of any one of the plurality of developing means is detected by a corresponding one of the plurality of toner empty detecting means; and display means for displaying a message to inspire to replace with new ones all of corresponding cartridges of the plurality of toner cartridges, which correspond to one or more of the plurality of developing means in which a toner empty has been detected, when a toner empty of any one of the plurality of developing means is detected by a corresponding one of the plurality of toner empty detecting means after the toner is supplied by the supply means.